Crime on most Memphis college campuses decreases, TBI finds

5 log fewer offenses; Rhodes and Lemoyne-Owen report increase

Mirroring a statewide trend, crime at five of Memphis’ seven major institutions of higher learning decreased from 2012 to 2013, according to a study released Friday by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

According to the TBI’s annual “Crime on Campus” study, criminal incidents on the state’s 96 college campuses decreased from 7,576 in 2012 to 6,698 in 2013, a drop of 11.6 percent.

For 2013, that breaks down to 5,243 Type A offenses and 1,455 Type B offenses. Type A involves the most serious crimes, such as rape, assault and theft. Type B involves lesser crimes, such as trespassing and alcohol violations. About a third of the reported offenses involved theft, primarily from buildings.

In Memphis, the five campuses that showed decreases from 2012 to 2013 were Christian Brothers University, the Memphis College of Art, Southwest Tennessee Community College, the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

At the U of M, incidents dropped from 398 in 2012 to 337 in 2013, a decrease of more than 15 percent. Derek Myers, deputy director of the school’s police services, credited the school’s expansion of its surveillance system. Myers said there are now more than 600 cameras spread around the U of M campus.

“Those are great tools for investigating when something does happen, and we do make quite a few arrests when we identify someone on camera,” Myers said. “It also gives the message that if you come out here and do something, we’re going to come find you.”

According to the TBI, both LeMoyne-Owen College and Rhodes College showed increases in the same period. At LeMoyne-Owen, crime increased from 53 combined incidents to 60.

Rhodes, however, saw the largest increase of any of the seven local campuses. The private school in Midtown, with a campus population of 2,584, also tallied the second-most offenses of any local school.

Combined Type A and B crimes at Rhodes increased from 145 in 2012 to 210 in 2013, a jump of 44.8 percent. Of those offenses, 68 were thefts, 21 involved drug violations and 39 were liquor law violations.

“Rhodes holds our students to an unusually high standard when it comes to on-campus behavior,” Ken Woodmansee, Rhodes director of communications, said in an email. “We collect and report even the smallest incidents, which is not always to our advantage when we are being compared to other colleges and universities.

“In 2013, we implemented new, more stringent changes to the way we collect and report on-campus incidents. Those changes are reflected in this most recent report. Campus safety is among our highest priorities, and we will continue do everything within our power to ensure that our students have a safe and secure place to live and learn.”